188
GREAT, GRAND & FAMOUS CHEFS AND THEIR SIGNATURE DISHES
etsuya Wakuda has no Michelin stars: he is
the only one of our chefs not to. But we must
assume this fact is of little concern to him. It is
simply an accident of geography, and perhaps
fate, that he should have arrived in Australia and
stayed. Had he set up his restaurant in any of
the 21 countries---including his native Japan---
which Michelin inspectors now visit there is no
doubt that he too would have his stars.
Which is not to say he will not get them.
In 2007 Michelin published its first guide
to Tokyo, and in 2008 the Michelin Guide's
director, Jean-Luc Naret, stated that the
company was considering their options "from
India to Australia." Because cuisine, just like
publishing and tires, is global.
That Michelin should be looking east
is hardly surprising. As Jean-Luc Naret says,
"Japan---and Tokyo in particular---seemed
the natural gateway to Asia, which is so rich
in gourmet food and cooking traditions."
But what was surprising was that Tokyo
restaurants were awarded a total of 191 stars,
more than triple the number of Paris. Eight of
those restaurants were given three stars (Paris
has but 10 three-star establishments) and it
confirmed Tokyo as prime contender for the
title of dining capital of the world. In 2008,
when the star count rose to 227, with another
three-star restaurant added, Naret told a press
conference that "Tokyo is, and remains, the most
starred city in the world. Japanese cuisine is
dynamic, diverse, rich and interesting."
The rest of the world, it seemed, was lacking
something. But what?
Perhaps a scientific paper published in
1909 by a Japanese chemist named Kikunae
Ikeda is the first place to look. There one will
find, extracted from seaweed, the ionic form of
monovalent glutamate, or glutamic acid. Ikeda
named it umami, and it has become known, after
sweet, salty, sour and bitter, as the fifth taste.
Umami is a Japanese word meaning savoury,
and it is this 'meaty' flavour particular to dashi
T
Borders
THE TASTE OF INTERNATIONALISM